Watcher the Immortal
by CasperBleu
Summary: There's more to Joe than even Joe knows. Joe/Mac romance with a slight hint of Joe/Methos for a second. Don't like, don't read. I'm new to the fandom, please be nice. Rated T for possible language in the future.
1. Chapter 1

Okay...here's a little bit about me. I usually write Harry Potter but have reciently gotten into Highlander so - here I am. To warn everyone, this is going to be a Duncan/Joe fic. I'm mostly writing it because the pairing interests me but I can't find any stories. I know this is really short, but I promise the chappies will get longer. Unless no one likes it...then I'll stop. Anyway...let me know what you think! I don't own these guys, just borrowing them. Also, this is unbetaed so any mistakes are mine. Also, (last one I promise) keep in mind I am new to the show and the fandom. If I get anything wrong, please let me know...but please don't yell at me about it. Thanks!

* * *

Watcher the Immortal - ch. 1

"Do you want me to help clean up?" Mac asked as the last patron left Joe's tavern.

"Nah," Joe said as he cleaned a glass behind the bar. "There's not much to do anyway."

"Alright," Mac said, finishing his drink. "I'll see ya later then."

"See ya," Jos said, watching as Mac left. Sighing, he picked up a rag and started wiping down the bar.

After about an hour, he realized there was more to do than he thought. He was tired, he was hearing things and he was really wishing he'd told Macleod to stay. The next time he gave his bartender the night off, he was definitely going to press either Methos or Mac into service.

He finished wiping down the last table and had settled behind the bar to work on paperwork when he heard the door open.

"Sorry. We're closed," he said, thinking he'd locked that door.

"Not here for a drink," said a scruffy looking young man.

Joe looked up and knew instantly what the man was there for.

"What can I do for you?" he asked, trying to keep them both calm. That thought, however, went right out the window when the young man raised a gun.

"You can give me all your money for starters."

"O-okay," Joe said. "I've already emptied the register though. I'll have to get it out of the safe."

"Let's go then."

Joe walked into his office, followed by the man. After opening the safe, he stepped back.

"There ya go."

"Thanks a lot," the man said arrogantly once he had emptied the safe.

"Uh, no problem," Joe said, hoping he'd leave soon. "Don't spend it all in one place. Maybe I'll see you around."

"No," he said, raising his gun to Joe's chest. "I don't think you will."

"No!" Joe yelled, but it did no good. The young man fired three rounds into his chest and ran.

* * *

Duncan rounded the corner back to Joe's mumbling to himself. He'd gotten halfway home when he realized he'd left his jacked at Joe's. Just as he rounded the corner, he heard three loud pops that sounded like gunshots coming from inside. A few seconds later, he saw someone run out the door and down the street.

"Hey!" he yelled. He almost chased after him, but then he remembered the noises he'd heard. "Joe," he whispered to himself as he ran inside.

"Joe!" he shouted, searching everywhere. He finally found him on the floor in his office. "Joe," he said, bending over him.

"Mac," Joe said quietly. "Thought I could control it."

"Shh," Mac said, lifting Joe's head. "You're gonna be fine."

"Don't think so," Joe said, trying to shake his head. "Not this time."

"Don't talk like that, Joe."

"Take care of the bar, okay?"

"Sure."

"Thanks," Joe said with the best smile he had. Then he closed his eyes.

"Joe?" Duncan said. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. This night had taken the worst turn of both their lives.

TBC

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

Well...this certainly took a while didn't it? Because it has absolutly no reviews, I had actually decided to not continue the story here and only put it on my lj or something and leave a link to it. But then, I got an e-mail saying that someone had added it to their Story Alert list. So if you're reading this story and like it (hard to tell from just the first chapter huh?) then thank justme9at for adding it to their list. I'm sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter up. I'm relativly new to Highlander and was having a little bit of a hard time getting characterizations and stuff right. I hope I'm not too off base with them. Let me know if you like it or if I need to change anything. I also must apologize for it being so short. I am trying to make the chapters longer.

I also must say, that the idea of Immortals not becoming Immortals if they die of old age came from the Highlander: Endgame movie. The idea of the Vow in this story is my idea. At least, I don't remember it coming from anywhere else. Now, on the the story by way of a disclaimer!

Disclaimer: I don't own the guys, I'm only borrowing them for a short time. Don't sue me! What's a short story to an Immortal right?

* * *

Watcher the Immortal - ch. 2

When Joe woke up, it was dark. He'd always wondered what death would be like, but this wasn't it. He'd imagined angels and bright light. This was...well, dark. And his head hurt. He really hadn't thought there would be pain once you were dead. _At least the bed' soft_, he thought to himself. He was contemplating his headache when the door opened, letting in blinding light.

"Methos! He's up!" he heard a familiar voice call.

Methos? Someone must've gotten him too. He'd always wondered if mortals and immortals went to the same place.

Just then, two men came in the open door. To his surprise, one of them really was Methos. To his even greater surprise, the other person with him was Mac.

"What's going on?" he asked quietly.

"Well," Methos said. "I...uh...I'm going to let you explain it."

"Gee thanks," Mac said, stepping forward.

"No problem."

"Well," Mac stammered. "Ya see, Joe..."

"You don't have to explain it to me, Mac," Joe said, cutting him off as the proverbial lightbulb came on in his head. "I've been a Watcher long enough to know what's goin' on. What I don't understand is why nobody knew."

"Well," Mac said and even Methos looked sheepish.

"You knew?" Joe asked, stunned and Mac nodded slightly. Joe shot a look at Methos who was staring at the floor. "Both of you? You knew and you didn't tell me?"

"We didn't think we'd have to," Mac said. "You're well protected. We figured you'd live out your life and no one would be the wiser."

"Well protected? You've been protecting me?"

"Yeah."

"Why didn't you just tell me?"

"Joe, you're a Watcher. If you knew you were going to be an Immortal, you would've had to quit."

"So you didn't tell me because you wanted to keep me in a strategic position then?" Joe said, getting upset.

"No," Mac said, trying to calm him down. "We didn't tell you because you love being a Watcher. We didn't want you to have to quit doing something you love early."

Jose deflated slightly. He couldn't decide if he wanted to be mad or not.

"It still would've been nice to know that my life was going to be shortened considerably."

"Shortened?" Methos pipped up. "Joe, you're Immortal. If anything you're life's been lengthened."

"Sure," Joe said sarcastically. "I'm a 55-year-old Immortal with no legs. People are gonna be coming outta the woodwork for my head!"

"Don't worry, Joe," Mac said. "We'll train you."

"Oh yeah. And how am I gonna sword fight? In a chair?"

"He's got a point," Methos said.

"We'll figure something out, Joe."

"Sure," Joe said, turning away from them. "Look I just wanna rest, okay? I'm kinda tired."

"Sure Joe," Methos said. "C'mon, Mac."

"Yeah," Mac said sadly, standing up. "If you need anything, just holler okay? We'll be downstairs."

Joe only nodded as Mac took a deep breath and left the room.

* * *

"We should have told him," Mac said once they were downstairs.

"Why?" Methos said, very matter-of-fact. "So he could become paranoid about dying? So he would have to quit a job that was his life? You know as well as I that they wouldn't have let him stay"

"Yeah, I guess. I just wish there was something we could do."

"You can't save them all," Methos said, almost sympathetically.

"This one I can," Mac said determinedly.

"MacLeod?"

"Come with me," Mac ordered and from the tone in his voice, Methos knew not to argue.

They went upstairs to where Joe was resting. Mac was taking long strides and Methos almost had to run to keep up even though he had the longer legs.

"Mac what are we doing?"

"I need to talk to Joe."

"He said he needed to rest."

"You know that was just a way to get us to leave."

"Well, that should tell you something."

"I'm not going to let him die!" Mac said, stopping and turning to Methos. "I won't. I can't."

Methos watched as he walked to a door and, after knocking softly and motioning him forward, went inside. Sighing, Methos followed.

* * *

"Joe?" Mac called softly, slowing going into the room.

"I...uh...really don't feel like company right now okay?"

"No," Mac said, surprising both Methos and Joe. "No it's not okay. Joe," he continued as Joe turned to face him. "As your friends, we should have told you the truth. We should have prepared you for what could come instead of being so sure it wouldn't. For that I am sorry. But I want you to know that you will be well protected."

"Huh?" Joe and Methos said together.

"You will be protected.." Mac said, taking a deep breath. "By me. I vow here, in front of the oldest living Immortal, to protect you and fight for you as long as I am alive."

"You can't do that!" Methos exclaimed, obviously alarmed.

"Yes I can. Just ask Joe."

Methos looked to Joe for an answer but all he saw was sadness.

"Yes he can. It's rare. I can count how many times it's been done on one hand. But it has been done."

"But an Immortal can't interfere in battles between other Immortals!"

"But they're not his fights anymore," Mac said. "His fights are my fights now. Do you accept my vow?"

"But I..."

"Do you accept my vow?" Mac said strongly, cutting him off.

"You don't get a say in this?" Methos asked Joe.

"According to the few chronicles on this, no. This is his decision and even though it's about me, there's nothing I can do. Even if I could, as much as I'd hate it, I'd be an idiot to turn down an offer like this. There is no way I can protect myself and he's offering to protect me as long as he can. Anyway, it's up to you now."

"Me?"

"You're the oldest living Immortal. Gives you kind of the right to veto it."

Methos took a deep breath. He couldn't believe this was happening. How had he lived 5,000 years and not know about this?

"Fine then. Duncan MacLeod, I accept your vow with one exception."

"Methos..."

"With one exception," he said firmly.

"What is it?"

"That you let me help," Methos said softly.

"What?" Joe and Mac said together.

"Those are my terms. Accept them and I'll accept your vow."

"Alright," Mac said, finally. "I accept."

"Then so do I."

* * *

So what do you think? Let me know. Oh yeah, also know that this is unbeta'd so any grammatical mistakes are mine. Sorry 'bout that.


	3. Chapter 3

Okay. I have to say a few things here. I thank you all for reviewing. I am really enjoying these characters, no matter how hard they are to keep in character. I must say, the character that is the reason behind this story is beginning to be the hardest to keep in character. I absolutly love Joe and his character isn't hard, it's deciding whether he'd say things a certain way, ya know? So if you see me slipping, slap me and tell me okay? Someone asked about Ritchie and Amanda...I really don't know if either will make an appearance. I really hadn't given them much thought yet so I'm not sure if I'll leave Ritchie dead or pretend he's not. I guess we'll just have to see. :-) To the same person...Yeah, Methos kind of surprised me there too. Ya know, stories can kind of take on a life of their own and he decided he'd be all noble for a minute. He may regret it later...you know how he is.

I'm glad you guys are enjoying it. It was an idea I've been kicking around since I watched the series and realized I had yet to see it anywhere. So...here it is. Oh yeah, if you watched The Source that came on the sci-fi channel a few weeks ago...then you know that this story has gone even more AU than it already was. I'm not real sure where I place this in the timeline, but pretend the movies (espceially the Source) don't exist. :-) I cried. Okay...this ended up REALLY long and I'm sorry. Onto the story!

* * *

Watcher the Immortal - ch. 3

They next few days went by in kind of a blur for Joe. He felt amazingly well for someone that should be dead and still couldn't believe it was happening. He'd always looked at immortals with a certain feeling of understanding, but now that he was one, he realized that he really didn't understand them at all.

He was standing at the bar one night, pondering that very thing along with various other things. One of the other things happened to be how, even though he was one of them now, they hadn't gotten any less aggravating. It had been three days since the shooting, two days since the vow had been made and roughly one day, twenty-three hours and fifty-eight minutes since he could lock himself in a room and never come out.

Methos, who was currently sitting at a table reading the newspaper, had not left his side since this morning. Mac was out looking for a house they could all move into together. They said it would keep him safer. Joe rolled his eyes at the thought. He knew he should be grateful they cared so much and didn't just take his head. He just hadn't lived with anyone since before the war and wasn't sure how to handle it. Methos calling his name brought his attention back to the bar.

"Joe?"

Joe thought he sounded concerned and got the impression that wasn't the first time he'd said his name.

"Yeah?"

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm alright. Just thinkin'."

"May I ask what about?"

"Just stuff that's been goin' on. Moving in with you guys, being like you, the fact that I feel lucky you at least let me go to the bathroom by myself." He said that last part with a smile that was returned.

"I draw the line there. I keep a close enough eye on the door. Don't expect the same from Mac though. You know how he can be a bit..."

"Anal?" Joe interrupted. Methos laughed and shook his head.

"I was going to say overprotective, but anal will do."

Joe smiled, but it quickly faded as a searing pain shot through his head.

"Joe are you okay?" Methos asked as Joe cradled his head. He had felt the Presence as well and knew exactly what was wrong.

"I will be," Joe said, shaking his head as the pain subsided. "That's gonna take some getting used to."

"It won't take long," Methos said as the immortal in question came through the door.

"I found it!" he said, slamming a packet of papers and pictures down on the bar. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah. Found what?" Joe asked, glad none of his customers were up at the bar right then.

"The perfect house for us. It has four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a pool in the backyard and it's all on one level!" His excitement made Joe smile.

"Three bathrooms?" Joe said. He had never dreamed of ever living in a house with that many bedrooms and bathrooms. "Just how much is this house going to cost?"

"Don't worry about that, Joe. Between Methos and I, we have that covered."

"Mac..."

"I know," Mac said, cutting him off. "You don't like people paying for you. But we need a house like this for the three of us. We wouldn't be able to handle a house much smaller. Besides, it's done so there's nothing you can do about it."

Joe sighed and looked from Mac to Methos and back to Mac.

"Fine," he said. "When do we move in?"

"Tomorrow. We can start first thing."

"Alright. I don't know how much help I'm gonna be though."

"Packing up my apartment is going to be the hard part," Mac said. "It'll take all of us."

Joe shuddered at the thought of all the things Mac had collected in 400 years. He sighed.

"Alright," he said. "But you owe me lunch."

"It's a deal," Mack said with a smile.

Joe smiled back. It was the first smile that had reached his eyes in two days and Mac didn't fail to notice.

"It's good to see you smile again, Joe," he said.

"What? I smile."

"Yeah, but I haven't seen _that_ smile in two days. The one that says you mean it. It looks good."

"Thanks," he said softly, knowing that if it weren't for his beard, he'd have an obvious blush. "I've had a bit on my mind."

It was true. It had taken a full day for him to speak to either one of them, which is why he wasn't in on most of the arrangements they made. He understood that they were trying to protect him, but he still wasn't ready to completely forgive them. He knew that everything they said was true, but he still couldn't get over the fact that they had kept a key part of _his_ life from him.

"Yeah," Mac said, quietly. "I guess so."

"So," Joe said, ready to change the subject. "Ya got some pictures of this house or somethin'?"

"Yeah," Mac said, brightening a bit and handing him the packet from earlier. "Here. Isn't it beautiful?"

"It sure is," Joe said, looking at the pictures in awe. "I've never seen anything like it."

"And I actually got it at a cheap price," Mac said proudly.

Joe didn't even want to ask what 'cheap' was to Mac because it was probably still more money than Joe had made in the last ten years. He just smiled and nodded.

"And we get to move it tomorrow?" Methos asked.

"Well," Mac said. "They said a couple of days, but it'll take us that long to get packed and ready to move in."

"So we'll pack up your place, then move on to mine?" Joe asked as he filled a glass and nodded to the person it belonged to.

"Right," Mac said. "Methos will stay with you tonight and I'll start packing."

"I will?" Methos asked with a smile.

"Yes," Mack said. "Then you two can meet me at the dojo in the morning."

"Alright," Joe said. "But not too early. Remember this place doesn't close until three."

"You have to be here until three?" Methos said in slight alarm.

"Yep," Joe said. "It's my night to run things. Don't worry," he continued, smiling at the depressed look on the old immortal's face. "There's a cot in the office."

"Alright then," Mac said, smiling as Methos perked up. "How's ten?"

"Sounds good," Joe said and Methos nodded.

"Great," Mac said, picking up the pictures of the house. "I'm going to go on and start packing. Do you want me to leave these here?"

"Nah," Joe said. "They might get something on 'em if they stay here."

"Alright. I'll see you two in the morning then."

"Okay," Joe and Methos said together.

"Cheer up," Mac said, playfully as he walked to the door. "It'll be fun!"

"Yeah," Joe said as the door closed. "Fun."

"Hey Joe?" Methos said, looking thoughtfully from the beer tap to Joe and back.

"Yeah?" Joe said. Then, noticing his line of vision, poured a glass of Methos' favorite. "Here."

"You're a Saint," Methos said, taking the glass.

"Yeah, that's me," Joe said playfully. "Saint Joe. They should name a church after me."

"Not yet. It takes thousands of years to get a church named after you. I bet you could get a bar though."

"I already have one of those," Joe said with a smile. "So, thousands of years, huh? How come I don't see your name on any churches?"

"Well I'm no saint now, am I?"

"Ya got me there," Joe said with a laugh.

"Thanks," Methos said sarcastically, but he was laughing.

"Alright," Joe said. "Go sit at a table or something. You're scaring away my customers."

"Fine. I'll just be over there," he said, pointing to a nearby table.

"Joe nodded and helped the next person that walked up to the bar. Then he sighed and glanced over at Methos who had gone back to reading. He was going to spend the entire night alone with Methos. He sighed again. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

"Isn't it time to go yet?" Methos all but whined. 

"We close in a few minutes," Joe said, rolling his eyes at the gleeful look on the old man's face. "But the we've got to clean up."

"Five minutes, Joe," said a waitress as she walked by the bar.

"Thanks, Tracy," he said, then turned to Methos. "See, just five minutes."

Methos spent those five long, painful minutes watching the clock behind the bar. Joe tried very hard to ignore him, but it was starting to get difficult.

"It's three, Joe," Methos said as soon as the second hand hit the twelve. Joe sighed.

"Tracy," he called, and the waitress from before came over.

"Yeah?"

"It's time to close."

"Okay," she said, and made her way to the stage to make the announcement.

"Now what?" Methos said as the people started to file out.

"Well," Joe said, sighing again. He'd done quite a bit of that in the last few days. "Tracy, Evana and Jessica clean up out here while I count the money and do the paperwork. Don't worry. It won't take long."

Methos nodded and Joe took the money from the register into his office. Methos followed him back and plopped down into a chair in front of Joe's desk. After about five minutes, Joe threw down his pen.

"Look, if you want this to go faster, why don't you go help the girls out there."

Methos looked unsure for a moment before responding.

"Okay," he said, leaving and Joe sighed with relief. Now maybe he could get some work done.

* * *

"Finally," Methos said as they walked through Joe's front door. 

"Why have you been so jumpy tonight?"

"Just bored. You know, you can only read a newspaper so many times."

"I didn't say you had to read all night. You could've taken a nap."

"Then what would happen if something happened while I was asleep?"

"You would've known if anybody even got close," Joe said, getting frustrated. "Besides, I'm not that helpless."

"I know, Joe," Methos said. "But what would happen if I didn't get out there in time, or worse, got there just in time to watch someone take your head? You don't even have a sword to defend yourself."

"And in a bar full of people, I probably wouldn't need it. You know immortals like dark alleys and stuff."

Methos just nodded and headed off towards where he assumed the bedrooms were.

"But you already knew that," Joe said, following him.

"Knew what?" Methos said. "Which one is mine?"

"That one," Joe said, pointing to one of the doors. "You knew I was just as safe in that bar full of people as I am right here with you."

"I guess," Methos said, going through the door Joe had just pointed to. Joe followed him.

"Then what's the problem?"

"Nothing."

"C'mon, Methos. Talk to me."

"There's nothing to talk about, Joe."

"Like hell there's not! You used to talk to me, tell me what was bothering you. What's changed?"

"Everything's changed!" Methos said, turning around to face him. "You used to think I was mortal, now you don't. You used to _be_ mortal, now you're not! I used to not care about anything and now I do! Everything has changed, Joe!"

Joe hadn't noticed it at first, but Methos had been slowly moving closer and closer to him. Apparently, Methos hadn't noticed it either because, once he was done with his rant, he looked surprised at how close he was to Joe. He took a deep breath and looked at the floor.

"Methos, look at me," Joe said, lifting the other man's chin. "Circumstances have changed but we haven't. We're still the same people we were before."

"No, we're not," Methos said, defiantly.

"Why do you have to be so damn stubborn?" Joe asked, getting frustrated again.

"Sorry, Joe. It's who I am."

"Not all the time. Why are you so determined to push me away?"

Joe saw a split second of indecision cross the old immortal's face before the unexpected happened. Before Joe could know what was happening, Methos had swiftly crossed the room and kissed him. Hard.

"That's why," Methos said quietly, before turning away and crossing the room leaving a very stunned Joe rooted to his spot on the floor.

* * *

Okay...for those few of you that are reading this story because it's one of the only Joe/Mac stories out there...don't worry. I still plan on it being that. This was Methos again, jumping in and doing his own thing. This story tends to just do whatever it wants but I'll get them back on track! This is just gonna be a fun little detour. Please review and let me know what you think! 


	4. Chapter 4

Hi there! I am soooo sorry it has taken so long to get this chapter out. Remember when I took the computer to the doctor? Well, they had to completely restore my hard drive. I didn't lose everything (thank goodness) but I had to get everything back on here and, well, that took a while. Then Thanksgiving and Christmas came and family stuff started and work got weird so it just took a while. But I'm back now and I'm working very hard on the next chapter. Still not entirely sure where this story is going yet, but it's safe to say there will be romance for someone. We'll just have to see what happens. Hope no one lost interest waiting for this chapter as I LOVE feedback (hint, hint). So sit back (but not too far as you need to be close enough to read), relax and enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Watcher the Immortal - ch. 4

Stunned didn't even begin to cover Joe's reaction. He stood very still long after Methos had turned away, unsure of what to do.

"Methos, I..."

"Go to bed, Joe," Methos said, cutting him off.

"But we should talk."

"Not now, Joe. I just want to go to bed."

Joe sighed and nodded. He closed Methos' door behind him and slowly made his way to his own room.

* * *

Once he'd gone through his nightly routine, Joe sat on his bed and stared at the wall. Methos had kissed him and he wasn't sure how to react. He really wanted to talk to Methos about this, but the other man had told him to go.

Joe sighed. He didn't think he had those kinds of feelings for Methos, but the kiss had felt really good and he couldn't get it off of his mind. He sighed again and laid down, shifting his stared from the wall to the ceiling. It didn't take as long as he figured for soon he fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

In the other room, Methos was going through roughly the same thing. He laid on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He'd kissed Joe, a man he'd known for a long time. Why had he done that?

Of course, he knew exactly why he'd done it. While Joe may not be traditionally handsome, he is very attractive in a rugged sort of way. Not to mention that the man had gone through hell in his life. Multiple times, in fact, but had always pushed through and never let his disabilities hold him back. His will was amazing. It had been enough to grab 'Adam's' attention when they'd first met and enough to hold that attention all these years. He wasn't sure love was the issue, but he knew it could be heading that way and he wasn't sure what to do next. He was certain Joe would hate him and wasn't exactly looking forward to MacLeod's reaction either.

MacLeod. That made him smile. He'd seen the look on his face and the look in his eyes when he'd seen Joe smile his first real smile in days. He'd also seen the blush creep up underneath Joe's beard when Mac said the smile looked good on him. It was obvious to him the two had feelings for each other neither one of them knew about yet.

After thinking about the way they looked at each other, he decided Joe and Mac belonged together. He'd put the kiss on a shelf, pretend it didn't happen and hope Joe did too. It could potentially ruin his friendship with the first person he'd cared about in 1500 years. If it hadn't already.

* * *

"Um...Methos?" Joe said the next morning on the way out to the car.

"Hmm?" Methos said, not looking up.

"About last night..."

"We should get on over to Mac's," he said, cutting him off. "We're already late and you know how he is."

"Yeah," Joe said quietly as they climbed into the car. "Okay."

The ride over was very silent. Methos drove while Joe stared out the window. Joe had decided to let the matter drop for now and Methos couldn't have been happier if he'd tried.

The silence gave him time to think. He thought about the kiss and then he thought about the way Joe and Mac had looked at each other the night before. They were meant for each other. Everybody knew it but them.

Methos sighed and glanced over at the man he had sworn to protect for all eternity. It was going to be a very long eternity.

* * *

After what seemed like the longest car ride ever, Methos and Joe finally reached Mac's apartment. As soon as the car was parked, Methos bolted. Joe would have bolted too, but, for obvious reasons, chose to take his time. Methos seemed to be doing just fine for the both of them anyway.

They worked on opposite sides of the one room apartment for most of the morning, barely talking to each other at all. The silence was deafening.

Mac kept glancing from one friend to the other, trying to figure out what was going on. To his disappointment, neither man would look at him. Every time he'd look at one of them, they'd look away quickly and, God forbid, they catch each other's eye. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. It was like World War III was going on right there in his living room.

"Alright," he said, just before lunch, unable to take it anymore. "What's going on with you two?"

"What do you mean?" Methos said, innocently.

"I mean," Mac said, more than a little frustrated. "You two have barely spoken all morning, you look away whenever I look at you and when you look at each other, it's like some kind of silent battle. When I left you guys last night you were fine, now what happened?"

"We just had an argument, that's all," Methos said and it took everything Joe had in him not to laugh.

_Argument my ass,_ he thought to himself.

"An argument?" Mac said unbelievingly, looking over at Joe. "That's it?"

"Yeah," Joe said, nodding. "An argument."

Mac looked from Joe to Methos and back to Joe, sighing. "Fine. If you don't want to talk about it, how about we eat? I believe I promised to buy lunch."

Joe returned the smile that had formed on Mac's face and nodded.

"Sounds good."

Mac looked over to Methos who also nodded.

"Alright," he said, standing up.

"Let's go then," Mac said as Joe stood up and they all piled into the elevator. It didn't escape Mac that Methos and Joe stood on opposite sides with him in between, both of them staring at the floor. Mac sighed and hoped one of them opened up one day.

* * *

It wasn't long before they were all in Mac's car, on their way to a nearby Italian restaurant. It was a quiet ride with Mac driving, Joe silently watching the pavement pass by and Methos sprawled out in the back seat. Any small talk he tried to make was met with a nod or a hum and eventually he just quit trying. He had never been so happy to be somewhere as he was when they got to that restaurant. Once they stopped, Methos hopped out of the car.

"I'll go get us a table," he said as Mac and Joe got out.

"So," Mac said as they walked in together. "You want to tell me what's going on?"

"It's like he said," Joe said. "We had an argument."

"I'm not buying it. Something else happened. Why won't you tell me what?"

"Because there's nothing to tell."

"But maybe I can help."

"You can't."

"Joe..."

"Drop it, okay?" Joe said, cutting him off. "We had an argument, we'll avoid each other for a few days and then we'll be okay. There's nothing to worry about. Okay?"

Mac sighed and smiled. "Okay." _For now,_ he thought to himself.

"Good," Joe said, smiling back. "Let's go in. I'm starvin'."

Together they walked slowly into the restaurant while Methos watched from the window in jealous amusement.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed it! Again I'm really sorry it took so long and I promise it won't take that long again. (at least I hope not!) Remember, reviews are love! 


	5. Chapter 5

Hey all!! Sorry it's taken me so long to get this part out. I've been kind of stuck as to where this story was going to go. However, I think I know and it will take some twists and turns before it's all over. We'll all have some fun, how about that? It's kind of short, but I wanted to go ahead and get it out. The conversation that's coming up next really needed it's own chappie anyway. Anyway, hope you all enjoy this part. Thank you all for the reviews! They're keeping this story alive! Happy reading!

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Watcher the Immortal - ch 5

After lunch, the afternoon went about the same as the morning. Mac could feel the war zone creeping in the moment they returned from lunch. The good thing was, the silence seemed to make them all work faster and by some miraculous event, Mac was packed up and ready to move by dinner.

"So what are we doing for dinner?" Methos asked as they put the last box in the back seat of Mac's car.

"Take out?" Mac said, closing the passenger door quickly so some of the boxes wouldn't fall out.

"Sounds good," Methos said as Joe nodded in agreement.

"Good," Mac said. "I'll call on the way over and unpack after we eat."

"Alright," Methos said as he and Joe walked over to his car. "We'll meet you there."

They all go into their respective cars and pulled away from the dojo.

* * *

Inside the car, Methos and Joe were silent. Earlier Methos had welcomed the silence, but now it was starting to grate on his nerves. Joe was not a sweep-your-problems-under-the-rug kind of guy and Methos couldn't help but feel like he had to say something or he'd lose him.

"Look, Joe," Methos said finally, earning him a sideways glance from Joe. "I know things have been tense today..." He glanced over at Joe's snort. "But I don't want things to be weird between us forever. What can I do to make things normal between us again?"

Joe turned to look at him but didn't say anything for a long time. Methos was beginning to think he wasn't going to say anything at all.

"Tell me why you kissed me," he finally said, quietly.

Methos thought for a long time. _Why had he kissed Joe?_ It was a question he'd been asking himself ever since it happened. Finally, he decided to give Joe the only answer he could give himself.

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" Joe said, sounding mildly irritated. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"Exactly that. I didn't have some deep, dark reason, Joe, it just happened. I didn't plan it. It just seemed like a good idea at the time."

"A good idea at the time?" Joe said hotly. The light mood Methos had been going for went completely the other way. "What exactly were you hoping for?"

"Nothing!" Methos said defensively, realizing this conversation was quickly going the wrong way. "I swear, Joe, it just happened. I didn't have any plans before _or_ after."

Joe wasn't real sure how to feel about that. Should he be relieved Methos didn't want anything else from him that night, or depressed because the thought apparently hadn't crossed the other man's mind? He looked down at his hands, then back to Methos who was so focused on the road in front of him Joe thought he could set it on fire.

"So...it didn't mean anything then." It was more of a statement than a question and he convinced himself he didn't sound the least bit pitiful.

_I didn't say that, _Methos thought to himself.

"What?" he heard Joe ask with a shocked voice and he realized he must've said it out loud.

_Fuck it,_ he thought to himself. "I said," he said to Joe. "I didn't say it didn't mean anything."

Joe was about to ask him exactly what he meant by that, but at that moment they pulled up to their new house. Mac was already carrying a box into the house and he waved as best he could with a heavy box in his arms. Methos and Joe waved back, then Methos turned to Joe.

"I...uh...How 'bout we talk about this later? After dinner?"

"Okay," Joe said quietly, nodding. They both got out of the car and as Joe headed towards the house, Methos walked over to Mac's car.

"You comin'?" Joe called when he realized Methos wasn't with him.

"Yeah," Methos called back. "Just thought I'd grab one of these boxes."

"Okay," Joe said, watching him a moment longer. "I'll see ya inside then."

"Alright," Methos responded, turning towards the car as Joe made his way inside. He took a deep breath and leaned against the car.

"Hey," he heard behind him a few minutes later. He turned around to see Mac standing there smiling at him. "Joe said you were bring in a box."

"Yeah," Methos said, reaching in and grabbing a box. "Just thought I'd take in some fresh air while I was out here."

"It is nice out here," Mac said, looking at the surrounding trees. "Well," he said, taking in a deep breath of fresh air. "Let's get these in. The food should be here in about fifteen minutes."

"Sounds good," Methos said, and they both grabbed a box and went inside.

* * *

Inside, Joe was sitting on the sofa with his head in his hands. His mind was reeling over the conversation he'd just had with Methos and he wasn't exactly sure how to handle it. He'd pushed Methos for an answer and now that he had it, well part of it anyway, he wasn't sure he wanted it. He didn't know how to feel about Methos' confession that the kiss might have meant something. It scared the hell out of him, but it also made him feel good. Someone wanted him. At least he thought so anyway.

He was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of a door opening. He looked up to see Mac and Methos stumbling in the door. They had two boxes each which made it difficult to see where they were going. Joe had to laugh a little when Methos turned into the wall three times before he finally found the corner to turn and go down the hall.

"Don't laugh at me, Joe," he heard Methos call as he made his way slowly down the hall.

Joe shook his head, a smile on his face, and leaned back on the sofa. He didn't have to wait long for them to come back.

"Well what were you carrying two for?" he asked with amusement in his voice. "Ya knew those were big boxes."

"We wanted to get them all in," Mac defended. "Dinner will be here soon and I didn't want boxes still in the car when it got here."

"Oh..." Joe started. However, whatever quip he was going to come back with was cut off by the doorbell.

"See," Mac said, walking towards the door and pulling out his wallet.

Joe and Methos stayed in complete silence while he was gone. They both new this was not the time to finish their conversation, but that left them nothing to talk about. Luckily, Mac returned quickly, holding two big bags of Chinese food.

"Dinner's here!" he said, happily walking towards the kitchen. "Get it while it's here!"

Joe and Methos looked at each other and grinned, both knowing they had precious little time to make it to the kitchen before all the good food was gone.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed it! Remember, reviews are love! 


	6. Chapter 6

Hey there! I know, I know...It's been a REALLY long time and I apologize strongly for that. And I have nothing to blame but pure laziness. I've had this chapter ready for a while now, just couldn't seem to make myself get it on the computer. (I write them out on paper first, then add what I need) Anyway...Thanks to all those who have reviewed. Just a couple of things before you start reading. I apologize for the fact that Joe can't seem to keep his speech consistant. Sometimes he sounds like he's supposed to and others he sounds really formal. Looking back I realize that and I believe it will run rampant in this chapter. I'll try to get around to fixing this one day, but I'm just not used to writing that way so sometimes I miss it. Um...This chapter took a turn I didn't expect while I was typing it. It actually may...well...I won't give it away. You'll just have to read to see what turn it took. And I promise it won't take so long to get the next one out. ::crosses fingers:: The next chapter isn't actually written yet but since I started back, I don't think it'll take too long. ::crosses fingers again:: Anyway...Remember it's not beta'd so be nice and I'm sorry it's short. But at least it's about the same as the others. :-) Please review and tell me if this one is up to par. I always think each chapter could be total crap so let me know if it is and I'll work extra hard to make the next one better! Now...On to the story!

* * *

Watcher the Immortal - ch. 6

Joe sat in his room, staring off into space. Dinner had been pleasant. They'd laughed and joked and talked and generally had a good time. It was just like it'd always been.

So what now? Now that he was alone, all of the past events were flying through his brain like the red line. Dying. Mac. Methos. _It._

He'd decided not to even give _it_ a name until he and Methos had talked. Methos had said they'd talk tonight. So far, he hadn't dropped by. Not that he really expected him. Methos wasn't exactly good at facing up to things he was afraid of. Joe had only seen him do it a couple of times, and that was just because his life had been in danger.

Joe moved to sit on the end of his bed and turned on the t.v. He flipped the channel a couple of times and turned it off again. Glancing at the clock, he sighed and got up to prepare for bed.

* * *

Methos was sitting in his room doing about the same thing as Joe. He had the tv on but he wasn't really watching. Finally, he turned the tv off and walked to the door, stopping with his hand on the knob. He stood there for a couple of minutes before sighing and sitting back down on the bed.

He ran his hands over his face and through his hair, leaning back onto the bed. He knew he needed to talk to Joe. This...thing...whatever it was needed to be addressed. He just didn't know how to do it. What should he say? In all his years (and there had been many of them) he'd never been in a situation like this before. Oh he'd been in many awkward places with many, many people, both male and female, but never with one of his best friends.

He sighed again and got up, deciding to get ready for bed. He'd talk to Joe tomorrow. If he could come up with something to say.

* * *

The next day was a complete disaster. After not gotten much sleep, both Methos and Joe were not in the best of moods. In fact, they were down right crabby and the bickering started almost immediately.

Today they were packing up Joe's house. It was going to be a bit harder and take more boxes considering it was a house instead of an one room apartment, but they had figured that, between the three of them, they could have it done in a day or two.

They elected to go over in two cars so they'd have Methos' SUV as well as the t-bird to carry stuff back in. Luckily, the big things, like the bed, had been moved by Mac the day before. So all they had to do was pack up the small things and some furniture.

Joe decided to ride with Methos, which probably wasn't the best decision he could've made. By the time they'd reached Joe's house, they'd bickered about everything from Methos' driving to Joe wanting the window rolled down. It was a long trip and Joe was really wishing he'd ridden with Mac.

As soon as the car stopped, they silently got out of the car and into the house, ignoring each other as much as possible. Mac just watched and shook his head, deciding he'd try to figure them out later.

* * *

The day went much like the day before, only quieter, if that was even possible. The silent tension was so thick, Mac was glad they were almost done. It looked like Joe's house was going to take two days to pack and he'd considered telling them to just stay home and he'd finish himself.

"Okay," Mac said finally, late in the afternoon. "What's going on?"

"What do you mean?" Joe asked.

"With you two. You've been avoiding each other for the last two days. I want to know what's going on!"

"Nothing's going on," Methos said, innocently.

"Don't play innocent with me," Mac said hotly, looking from Methos' boyishly innocent face to Joe's 'something's-bothering-the-crap-outta-me' face which was trying desperately to look at everything but Mac. "I'm not stupid and I'm not blind. Something is going on between my two best friends and it's tearing them apart. I just want to help."

"Well you can't," Methos said, standing up, suddenly seeming very agitated. "It's between Me and Joe and we'll work it out."

"Will we?" Joe asked. He was staring determinedly at Methos and Mac suddenly felt like he'd been kicked out of the conversation.

"What?" Methos asked, moving his attention over to Joe and clearly startled by the tone.

"Will we work this out? Because so far, I only see one of us tryin'."

Mack looked back and forth between Methos, who looked like a deer caught in headlights, and Joe who looked decidedly angry (and much like the car the headlights belonged to). Now he felt, not only excluded from the conversation, but like he shouldn't even be in the room.

"I...uh...I'm just going to go get something out of the car," Mac stuttered as he backed out of the room and went outside. It didn't surprise him when he got no response and he hoped they didn't try to kill each other.

"It's complicated, Joe," Methos said.

"No, Methos, actually it's very simple. You kissed me, remember? If you not interested, you're not interested. All you have to do is say so, so I'll stop wondering."

"That's the problem," Methos said quietly. "I think I am interested."

"You think?" Joe asked, sounding a bit incredulous. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"What do you want me to say, Joe? This whole 'maybe having feelings for one of my friends' thing is kind of new to me."

Joe took a deep breath. What exactly did he expect? The whole thing was new to him too.

"You're right," he said. "We should just go slow and see where it takes us. If you want to, that is."

"That sounds like a good idea," Methos said with a small smile.

Joe gave a small smile back and a nod. He felt much better about where they stood with each other.

"I guess we should go tell Mac he can come back inside now."

"Yeah," Methos said. "Because I am _not_ carrying all of these out by myself."

Joe chuckled as Methos picked up a box and headed outside. He watched him until he was out of sight, then he stood up, looking around his soon to be former residence. He was unsurprised when he heard Mac behind him.

"Hey," Mac said.

"Hey," he responded, turning around to look at him.

"Everything okay?"

"I think so, yeah. Sorry 'bout chasin' you out before," he said, almost sheepishly.

"It's okay," Mac said. "I've been expecting this for a couple of days now, with the way you two have been acting."

"We were that bad, huh?" Joe asked, slightly apologetic.

"Only a little," Mac said with that shy smile that made Joe's breath catch. "Did you get everything worked out?"

"Yeah, I think so," Joe said. _Until now_, a small voice in his head said quite clearly. Where the hell did that come from!?

"You wanna talk about it?"

"Uh...no. Not right now. I sorta told Methos we'd keep it between us for now." Okay, not a total lie. They actually hadn't talked about it.

"Okay," Mac said, warily. "But everything _is_ okay, right?"

"Yeah. Everything's fine." _Mostly._

"Good," Mac said with a smile, touching Joe's shoulder lightly. Joe's breath caught again and it was really beginning to scare him. "Then maybe tomorrow won't be quite so...silent."

"Sorry," Joe said quietly.

"It's alright," Mac said. He had removed his hand and was picking up a box and suddenly Joe's shoulder felt extremely cold. "Just don't let it happen again."

Joe could only nod as Mac walked outside, leaving him more confused now than he'd been in the last two days.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed it! Remember, reviews are love!


	7. Chapter 7

Hello once again. Look at me! Three updates in almost 18 months! Watch me go! Okay...so I must REALLY apologize for a couple of things. First off, I'm sorry for taking so long to get the next chapter up. I must confess, I've had this chapter written for a long time now. I was just to lazy, then to busy, then to lazy again to get it on the computer. But it's here now right? I won't promise this time that I'll have another chapter out in a week or whatever. What I will promise is that this story will be finished. I won't abandon it no matter how long it takes to finish.

Second, I must apologize for the rather abrupt change in direction the last chapter took. I'm sorry for confusing anyone (which judging by at least one of the reviews I did). I must address one thing though. One of my reviewers mentioned that it sounded like I didn't know which way I wanted to go with this story. I do admit that Methos decided he wanted a bigger part in the story then he originally had, but keep in mind who the main pairing of this story is. If you don't remember, it's in the description...I think. I took the abrupt turn because I was tired of it going in the wrong direction with no turn in sight. The further I was getting, the harder it was to get back on track so I just did it. Sorry for confusing anyone but I really do know where I want it to end up. Hopfully this chapter will smooth things out for all you readers. Poor Joe, however....Just read it. :) Happy reading!

* * *

Watcher the Immortal - ch. 7

To say Joe was confused was putting it as mildly as saying the ocean had _some_ water in it. He was tired, he was quickly becoming mildly depressed and he was currently locked away in his room, deeply studying the diamond pattern of his wallpaper. He shook his head and finally took a sip of the drink he'd been holding for an hour.

Not three hours ago, he'd been talking to Methos, making plans and feeling pretty damn good. Then, less than ten minutes later, he was all hot and bothered because Mac said nice things, smiled that smile and touched his arm? What the hell was wrong with him?

Joe sighed and contemplated throwing the glass against the wall. How did he get himself into these situations? He seemed to be the master at getting himself into impossible situations with no way out except with someone getting hurt. Usually that person ended up being him, but this time he had the potential to take at least one of his closest friends with him.

He sighed again, listening to Methos knocking on the door and asking if he was alright. He and Mac had been taking turns checking on him ever since he'd retreated to his room a couple of hours ago. Every time, he'd yell back that he was fine, just tired, and they'd leave. Then, about ten minutes later, the other one would come. This was no different and, as endearing as it was, it was becoming a bit annoying. Couldn't they take a hint? He finally decided that sleep might help, and maybe they'd quit knocking if his lights were off.

* * *

"What do you think is wrong?" Methos asked as he and Mac sat in the kitchen.

"I don't know. He seemed alright when I talked to him just before we came home."

"Yeah, same here. Well," he continued after Mac's pointed stare. "After we talked through a few things anyway."

"Maybe he really is just tired," Mac said, taking a sip of his drink. "It has been a rough couple of days."

"Maybe," Methos said thoughtfully.

They sat in silence for a long couple of minutes before Mac stood up and turned towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Methos asked, though he already knew the answer.

"To check on him," Mac said, slightly turning around and then leaving the room, never seeing Methos' amused smile. He came back a couple of seconds later and sat back down in his seat.

"Well?" Methos asked when Mac didn't say anything.

"His light was off. He must've gone to bed."

Methos nodded, looking thoughtful.

"I suppose we should go too," he said, standing up.

"I think I'm going to stay up and read a while," Mac said.

"Alright. I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah. Goodnight."

Mac sighed as Methos left. He finally got up and went to his room to try to read, but instead ended up wondering what was wrong with his friend.

* * *

The next day was the very last moving day. There were a few things left in Joe's house and then everyone would be officially moved into the new house. Methos and Mac moved most of the furniture that was left, while Joe stayed by himself, boxing up a few books and things sitting around. He was grateful for the silent solitude while Mac and Methos' slight confusion moved on to full-blown worry.

"What do you think is wrong?" Mac asked, repeating Methos' question from the night before as they carried a bookcase out to the moving truck they'd rented.

"I don't know," Methos answered. "Has he said anything?"

"No," Mac answered as they slid the bookcase into the truck. "Maybe I should talk to him."

"Yeah," Methos said, feeling slightly like it should be _him_ talking to Joe but not being able to bring himself to volunteer. "That's probably a good idea." Mac was better with words anyway.

"Can you handle this for a little bit?"

"Yeah. There's a few small tables and things that need to come out."

"Okay. I'll be back."

"Okay," Methos said, watching his friend go back inside. He felt like a coward. If he was too cowardly to go inside and ask Joe what was wrong, how was he going to make a relationship work?

Methos kicked the tire of the truck before going back to work.

Mac quietly walked to the room Joe was in and stood at the door. Joe was quietly looking around the nearly empty room. To Mac, it looked like he was saying goodbye to an old friend.

"Joe?" he said quietly, so he wouldn't startle him. It didn't work. Joe jumped a little anyway.

"Mac," he said, snapping his gaze from the floor to Mac. "Didn't hear ya come in."

"I know," Mac said, coming more into the room. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he said, looking around the room again. "Just sayin' goodbye."

Mac nodded and moved to stand beside the other man, also looking around.

"Were you here for a long time?"

"Almost twenty years."

"Wow," Mac said, slight amazement in his voice. "I've never stayed anywhere for that long."

"Well you have a good reason," Joe said, throwing the other man a glance and a smile, which Mac returned. Joe suddenly felt that confusion come back and turned his gaze back to the floor. "I guess so do I, now."

Mac felt the sudden tension and couldn't figure out for the life of him what had caused it. Maybe he was still upset about the sudden onset of immortality. He'd seemed fine for a while, but maybe moving out of his house brought it all back.

"Joe, what's wrong?" Mac finally asked, wanting desperately to ease his friends troubles.

"What do you mean?" Joe asked, trying to act as normal as possible. He could tell Mac didn't buy it.

"You've been silent all day, you locked yourself in your room last night and wouldn't come out, and you've barely even looked at Methos or I since yesterday afternoon." Mac turned to fully face Joe, taking his face and forcing him to look at him. "You're in pain, Joe. I just want to help."

Joe stared at him. Pain? Is that was this was? He supposed that was what it was. The pain of knowing he was having feelings for both of his best friends? The pain of knowing that at least one of them was going to get hurt if he didn't figure something out soon? Yep, Mac was right. This was pain. But he didn't think there was anything Mac could do to help when he was part of the problem.

"I don't think there's anything you can do, Mac," he said softly. "I think it's just something I have to work through myself."

Mac didn't look happy with this response, but nodded anyway and Joe decided to ignore the fact Mac hadn't let him go.

"Okay," Mac said finally. "But if you ever need to talk..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but Joe knew what we meant. He would always be there for him. Joe nodded, and only then did Mac seem to realize he still had his hand on Joe's face. He pulled his hand back quickly, looking as confused as Joe felt.

"I...uh...I should go back and help Methos," he said. "I'll see you outside?"

"Yeah," Joe said quietly as Mac turned to leave. He was almost to the door when Joe turned around. "Hey Mac?"

"Yeah?" Mac said, slowly turning around.

"Thank you," he said softly, flashing a small grin.

"You're welcome," Mac replied, flashing a quick grin of his own before ducking quickly out of the room.

Joe just sighed and turned back to the window.

* * *

Outside in the hall, Mac was leaning against the wall. What was going on with him? It was just Joe! So why was he feeling...whatever it was he was feeling? Especially when it was quite obvious that Joe and Methos were working on something. Even if it wasn't obvious to them yet. He ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath.

"Are you alright?" he heard a voice say from beside him and snapped his eyes up to see the worried face of Methos.

"Yeah," Mac said. I'm alright."

"Did something happen with Joe?" Methos asked, concern written all over his face. "Is he alright?"

"No, nothing happened with Joe. We just talked. He's been in this house a long time. I think he's just said to leave." So it wasn't a total lie. Methos didn't need _every_ detail. "I think he'll be okay in a few days.

"Good," Methos said, not entirely believing Mac's answer. You didn't live five thousand years without learning to read body language. "Let's get that big bookcase in the living room next."

"Okay," Mac said as he followed Methos to the living room. Sure he thought Joe would probably be okay in a few days. How he just hoped he would be too.

* * *

Hope this one wasn't quite as confusing as the last. We'll be back on track soon!


	8. Chapter 8

Okay. First off, I have to appologize for taking so long to update. I wouldn't be surprised if I lost half my readers. Really, I really am sorry. For a while I had major writer's block on both of my stories I'm working on. Then I had it written, just not typed. Add that with major computer problems (like, completely reformatting my hard drive) and the fact that for the last 3 days or so the site wouldn't let me upload and I end up with readers that had to wait a long time. Anyway, as I said before, this story will NOT be abandoned, even if the updates are few and far between. I will warn you though, the next chapter has not been written yet (yes I know I'm lazy) so don't get all upset if the next update isn't for a little while. I really want to thank all those people who are reading and sticking with it and reviewing. It means a lot to me that you guys like it and are waiting on stuff. Okay...anyway...on to the story!

* * *

Watcher the Immortal – Ch. 8

Joe stood behind the bar, drying a glass. He'd been closed for two hours but he couldn't seem to get everything done. Of course, it didn't help that he kept drying the same glass over and over again.

Joe sighed and put the glass down. He had no idea how life had gotten so difficult. On day, he was just a guy with friends and a bar. Well, he supposed he was still a guy with friends and a bar. It was just that his relationship with those friends had gotten very confusing.

Joe sighed and picked the glass back up. Only instead of wiping it again, he poured himself some whiskey and took a drink.

* * *

In Joe's office, Mac wasn't much better off. The feelings currently running through him were confusing to say the least and they scared him. They were strong and deep but what scared Mac the most was the realization that these feelings were not new. In fact, once he really thought about it, he couldn't remember when they _weren't_ there.

Mac sighed and stared at the glass in his hand. _What am I going to do?_ he asked himself. Honestly he had no idea what he was going to do. Joe and Methos were getting very close and Mac even had the suspicion that was what their 'problem' was. It was beginning to eat at him and that in itself was driving him insane.

He threw the glass against the wall in frustration and instantly regretted it. He knew it would get Joe's attention and the way he was right now would make Joe worry. Maybe he hadn't heard.

"Mac?" Joe called as he hurried through the door.

No such luck.

"Mac, you alright?"

"Yeah," Mac said with a sigh. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You've seemed kinda off for the last couple of days and now you're in here breakin' my glasses. Is something wrong?"

Mac smiled at that. Joe smiled back and Mac realized how much he liked seeing Joe's smile.

"No, nothing's wrong," he said. It wasn't a total lie. "Sorry about the glass."

"It's alright," Joe said, not quite believing him. "It's only one. But how 'bout you come in here and help me wash 'em instead of sittin' in here breakin' 'em."

"Putting me to work, are you?" Mac said, smiling as he got up and rounded Joe's desk. "Maybe I should ask you to pay me."

"Sure," Joe said as they walked out of the office. "Then maybe you could pay off Methos' tab."

* * *

The next three days were pleasant for all three immortals. Tensions were low, awkward moments were few and they all seemed to laugh a little easier.

Currently, they were all at the bar, laughing about nothing in particular. It felt like old times and Joe was the most content he'd been since he became an immortal.

"So, I got a letter from Amanda," Mac said.

"Yeah?" Joe said as he did his usual scan of the crowd. "How's she doin'?"

"Yeah," Methos chimed in. "What scam is she pulling off now?"

"She didn't say," Mac said with a chuckle. "She did say she was in London and that she was going to come for a visit soon."

"Great," Joe said as his eyes landed on a face he thought he might know. Then he brought his eyes back to Mac. "Tell the city to be on their toes."

"I don't know. She's met some guy. Says she wants to, and I quote, 'bring him home to meet the family'."

"Sounds like something she'd say," Joe said, though he was scanning again, his eyes landing on someone. A fact that did not go unnoticed.

"Everything alright, Joe?" Methos asked.

"Uh…yeah _Adam_, everything's fine," Joe said with a little nod. "Jim, how are you doin'?"

Mac and Methos turned around to see a man coming up behind them.

"Doing fine, Joe," Jim said, stepping up to the bar and shaking Joe's hand. "How about you?"

"Couldn't be better," Joe said. "You remember Adam Pearson?"

"Oh sure," Jim said, shaking Methos' hand. "Researcher, right? Haven't seen you around lately."

"Yeah," Methos said. "I…uh…I move around a lot."

"And this is a good friend of mine, Mac. Mac, Jim Bower."

"Nice to meet you."

"You too," Mac said, shaking the other man's hand. "So how do you know each other?"

"We worked together back when we were both young," Jim said. "I tell ya, getting' old's a bitch."

"Yeah," Joe said, laughing uneasily. "You want a drink?"

"Sure. I'll take a beer. So what have you been up to? They got you working hard?"

"Nah. I'm…um…I'm retired," he said, handing Jim his beer. "I run this place full time now. Mac here helps me out and it's much less stress."

"I bet," Jim said as Mac and Methos gave each other a look. They didn't know 'retire' was in Joe's vocabulary. "Sometimes I think about retiring. But I think I'd get bored."

"Yeah. I think I'd go insane without this place."

"I bet you would," Jim said, waving to someone who just walked in. "Well look. I'm meeting someone and they just got here so I gotta go. But it was great seeing you again Joe, Adam."

"You too," Joe and Methos almost said together.

"Nice to meet you Mac."

"You too," Mac said as the man walked away.

When Joe turned his attention back to the men in front of him, they were both staring at him.

"What?"

"He was a Watcher," Mac said.

"I know that MacLeod, I worked with the man for over 20 years."

"You know they're gonna figure it out sooner or later."

"Yeah, well, I prefer later than sooner. Besides, as far as I know, nobody's watching you at the moment. And if they start watchin' me, it could lead 'em straight to Methos."

They all agreed letting the Watchers figure it out on their own would be a good idea. If they were lucky, they'd never figure it out. Personally, Joe didn't think they were that lucky, but he could hope.

* * *

Over the next day or so, Joe began to suspect he'd been wrong about Mac not having another Watcher. After that night at the bar, he'd become a bit more observant and he noticed his friend Jim around quite a bit. He figured he ought to let his 'protectors' know before they do something stupid. Like swordfight in the front yard.

"Hey guys," he said one night as they sat around watching TV. "I think I was wrong."

"About what?" Methos asked from the sofa next to him.

"About Mac not having another Watcher yet."

"Why do you say that, Joe," Mac asked, sitting up a little straighter. He never did like the idea of someone watching his every move.

"Well, you remember my friend Jim you met the other night?" At their nods he continued. "Well, I've been seeing him around quite a bit, but only when you're here. Not when it's just me or when Methos is here. Just you. I don't think it was a coincidence that he was at the bar the other night and I think he knew exactly who you were when I introduced you."

This news disturbed Mac more than he cared to admit. Joe had been right before. If one of them has a Watcher there was a greater chance of them finding out that Methos actually existed.

"We'll have to be more careful," Mac said. "If the Watchers find out about Methos, it would only be a matter of time before other Immortals do too. Then everyone would be coming for him."

"And we definitely don't want that," Methos said.

"We'll have to come up with a reason _Adam_ is now living here and why he's not with the Watchers anymore," Joe said with a yawn.

"Yeah, but in the morning," Methos said. "I don't think they're all going to come challenge me tonight."

"That's good," Mac said with a smile. "Because you're pretty rusty."

"Oh shut-up!" Methos said, throwing a throw pillow at Mac. Mac easily dodged it and they all burst out laughing.

"Alright you two jackals," Joe said, maneuvering himself off the couch. "I'm going to bed."

Taking a step, Joe's cane caught on the edge of the couch. Knocked off balance, Joe landed right in Methos' lap, turning both men speechless and not a little red. Something that didn't go unnoticed by Mac and, to his dismay, made him feel slightly jealous. Okay, more than slightly.

"You okay?" he heard Methos ask Joe breathlessly.

"Uh…yeah," Joe said in the same way. "Thanks."

"Let me help you," Methos said once he'd regained a little composure.

It took a little maneuvering but they finally got Joe back to a standing position. Methos stood in front of him with his hands on Joe's shoulders.

"Better?"

"Yeah," Joe said with a small smile. "Thanks." They stood there for a few more moments. "I…uh…I better get to bed," Joe said, taking a few careful steps back.

"Yeah," Methos said, letting him go. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Joe almost whispered. "Mac I'll…" Joe started, turning to Mac. Mac, however, was no longer there and Joe felt bad for not even noticing when he left. "Where'd he go?"

"I don't know," Methos said, also feeling bad for ignoring their friend. "Maybe he went to bed."

"Yeah. Probably," Joe said, turning back to Methos. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Methos said again as Joe started to walk away. "Hey Joe?"

"Yeah?" Joe said, stopping and turning around.

Instead of saying anything, however, Methos just walked over to Joe and kissed him on the cheek. "Try not to fall down again."

"Okay," Joe said with a shy smile.

Methos smiled back as Joe left. He felt happy and confused all at the same time. And he figured he could live with that…for now.

* * *

So what did ya think? Remember, reviews are love!


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